Abercrombie & Fitch: Too FIERCE in Sexuality for Singapore?

Low-rise jeans indeed! More like low-tugged jeans! | (image source)

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! That four-story billboard covering the facade of A&F Singapore was bound to stir up something. I mean, when I first saw it, I was like "woah!" And Ashley Stewart (CEO of JCDecaux Singapore) agrees, "I was a little surprised when I first saw it. It was more risqué than would normally be attempted, even for an Orchard Road location. We must remember that outdoor advertising here rightly has historically been sensitive to the multi-cultural society that is Singapore; we are not a mono culture - so partial nudity in advertising is generally not acceptable." In the picture, the guy tugs down the front of his low-rise jeans revealing, seriously, his shaved public area. Now, this picture has been frequently seen on Abercrombie & Fitch shopping bags (and no one has ever made a complain before). But is it just me or is the pubic area more defined on the A&F Singapore billboard? Whereas on the the bags, the area is like slightly blurred. I thought it was, but didn't make a comment on it. I mean, it's Abercrombie & Fitch?! And it all comes down to the fact that it's art and the over all look is nice, clean, and bold. But others didn't agree and had a thing or two to comment...

"Lewd" and "vulgar" were two of the words reported to have been used in a Straights Time forum in August discussing the imagery. The site Stomp was also filled with debate. And why (when the rest of us are all used to chiseled abs and sexuality by A&F)? Because Singapore is actually a lot stricter than your common nation and, to that effect, has entities that protect "decency" in the city-state. And so the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) butted in. It decided that the photo plastered on the tourist traffic-heavy Orchard Road was "objectionable" on August 31 and called for a suspension of the promotional imagery on September 12 because the billboard made a "breach of the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice guidelines on decency." But its just too bad for the ASAS because they can not find a way to get A&F to pull it down. It's very funny. They're like bratty moralist children. They tried to see if the billboard was put up for A&F through an ad agency (that way they could get the agency to pull it down by complying to the code). Nope. They tried to get the  Park Hotel Group, owners of Knightsbridge, to get it down. Nope. The only way to get it down is if Abercrombie & Fitch, which put up the billboard itself, actually puts it down...well that is not happening.

Abercrombie & Fitch is looking into the situation and the ASAS is trying to look for ways to get its way. On September 29, the MDA "voiced its support for the [ASAS]," but nothing has happened yet. The ASAS is still awaiting response from A&F. Supposedly, "photographic image exploits human nudity" can be subject to law under the Undesirable Publications Act.

But this is all very slow and stupid and ignorant. Why now after the damn thing has been up for months - the billboard has been there since June! - are they now making a big deal? Like Stewart told Marketing magazine, "What really surprised me was the speed of ASAS's responce. The ad's suspension was many weeks after it was posted, so it had already achieved the desired effect." Also, its artistic photography...not pornography. There is no indecency because the subject of the photograph is presented in an artistic manner. Like a nude statue Rome, which is riddled with them, if you will, except in photographic presentation. Sure Singapore is not Rome, but the point is that this is art. And yes, sensuality is intended, but it is art nevertheless and offends no one - there is no reason to be offended. Sure enough we must recognize the sensitivity of a culture but how "sensitive" can you be without bordering on ignorance and immaturity. Rayner Lim, a creative partner at Contagious called it "dangerous": "Can you imagine waiting at the junction for green light and a big grown man like me caught salivating at the chiseled abs." Well assuming he's heterosexual he wouldn't have to drool and if he is attracted then can he not have self-control? I mean really? And how old are you? Pathetic.

Billboards on the facade of A&F Milan under construction in 2009.

And how about this...the same picture has been used since 2009 when it was made as two billboards on the facade of A&F Milan when that flagship was under construction back in 2009. It is also on the facade of the upcoming A&F Düsseldorf. There were no remarks of "inappropriateness" from the Milanese and there haven't been any from the Germans. Yeah, again, Singapore may be a different culture, but this is art and it's what Abercrombie & Fitch is Singapore! It's what makes the brand beautiful - its appreciation of the human form (primarily that of the male) - and hot, too. There is no A&F without this.

Marketing - "conservative" by A&F standards - draped over the
sleek and elegant facade of A&F Ginza in 2009.

Granted. When Abercrombie & Fitch placed marketing on the facade of its A&F Ginza flagship store in Tokyo, I considered it an appropriate move. The photograph is from RUEHL No.925 but was used on the then-upcoming A&F Tokyo flagship. The photo - like everything from RUEHL - was reserved and sophisticated. And I thought A&F must have used it while considering that the Ginza shopping district is conservative in a sense. But guess what? A&F then rolled a bus plastered with semi-nude males down the streets of Ginza! That just comes to show that A&F is sensuality/sexuality but in a wholly artistic, near-luxury context.

In my conclusion, there is no reason to make such a big deal. It's beautiful. Yes, it is. And it's art. (As I have said countless times to make my point come across). If this is causing controversy in Singapore then what's next? Are there going to be complains over the photography of the Abercrombie & Fitch shopping bags carried all up-and-down Orchard Road by A&F customers?

Seriously. Let's be reasonable here. A&F Singapore opens December 15th! Stay FIERCE!

A&F London, 2006.

P.S. I want to point out something else. Yes, there was also controversy over A&F London in 2006, but that wasn't really all because of the marketing of semi-nude males plastered along the facade (which wasn't even technically on Savile Row itself, found around the corner, but on Burlington Gardens). The problem was mainly because the shopkeepers of Savile Row didn't want a casual, youthful and sexual brand opening near them. Savile Row, renown for its English tailoring is quite conservative by reputation and culture and so then I can understand. But A&F opened anyway and they shut up about it. But this whole Singapore thing is completely different because Singapore does want Abercrombie & Fitch to open on Orchard Road. People are just making a big fuss over a picture. Had A&F placed the same picture it did for A&F Ginza on the facade of A&F Singapore then people would not be making such complains.

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UPDATE: Abercrombie & Fitch has responded to the complaints! Read all about the latest news...FIERCE Sexuality in Singapore to Stay!

Hollister in France, Dudes! Get Excited!

Let the craze begin! Shoppers on the opening of HCo Rome | (image source)

Hollister vient en France!

I'm sure everyone knows that Hollister is coming to France. But just to make sure everyone else who doesn't know knows, here we go...

Abercrombie & Fitch is really leaning in on its Hollister brand when it comes to the company's international expansion. Why? Because HCo is madly successful overseas! Not that A&F isn't either, but HCo is offering the greatest potential for greater international expansion. Within the European market, Hollister has now caused fan waves in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden...and it is planning to take over France! A&F believes it can open up to 20 HCo stores in France in the long term, but will be starting operations in country with four stores by the end of 2011!

And of course I have you the info on when they'll open!

After the awesome opening of A&F Paris, the company is gearing up to open the first HCo store inside the Carré Sénart mall of Paris. The store is going to be opening shop on September 29 at 10:00am (CET). One week later, a 800 square meter (roughly 8,611 square feet) HCo shop will open inside Vélizy 2 - one of Europe's major shopping centers and located outside of the city of Paris in the Paris region at the Vélizy-Villacoublay commune in the Île-de-France. The 3rd HCo will open by the end of November inside the Docks 76 shopping center in Rouen - the regional capital of Upper Normandy. And the fourth will be causing SoCal waves in Strasbourg - the capital and major city of Alsace - inside Rivétoile shopping center when it opens in early-December in time for Christmas!

News broke out in January 2011 that an HCo would open in Lyon by the end of the year. There will be a Lyon shop but it will not open this year. HCo Lyon will open inside the future Confluence shopping center when the mall opens in 2012. Another store will open in Paris in 2013 inside the redeveloping Beaugrenelle mall in the 15th arrondissement...

Mark your calendars people! If you can believe - of course you can! - the French are completely stoked! Stay FIERCE!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: (25 October 2011): HCo Rivétoile in Strasbourg opens on Friday, November 25!!!

Hollister Hong Kong Photos Now Out!

Hot dudes and cute Bettys pose in front of the electronic facade of HCo Hong Kong! | (image source)

So finally, finally, Hollister has uploaded photos from the opening of the first ever HCo in Asia! The store opened back in August 18, but HCo to a long time to put them up on its Facebook page. It is a very modern Hollister store! Just check out the electro-facade and bronze and glass entrance! Head on over to the Hollister in Hong Kong photo gallery to check out pics of the event.

Forget the waves! Ride a surfer! | (image source)

Surf's up, Dudes! Stay FIERCE!

Hollister's Coming to Beijing and Shanghai!

The promotional wall enclosing the future HCo Shanghai store. | (image source)

Get your surfboards ready, Dudes and Bettys! Hollister is opening flagships in Beijing and Shanghai as a part of its expansion plans into the Chinese market.

The store in Beijing will be located in Plaza 353 (353 广场) at 353 Nanjing Dong Lu (南京东路353号).

Meanwhile, HCo Shanghai will open inside Raffles Mall at the base of the Raffles City (来福士广场) Shanghai tower in the People's Square (人民广场). The People's Square happens to be a main point of retail traffic in the city and it is adjacent to Nanjing Road (南京路) - the street's among the world's most busiest shopping streets!

Both flagships will open sometime during the Christmas fashion season. (Unfortunately, the dates are yet unknown).

Stay FIERCE!

UPDATE (21 March 2012): Both shops are now open!

Career Opportunities at A&F Home Office...Are You In?

A&F Home Office in New Albany, Ohio.
Screenshot from A&F's Leadership Development Program (image source)

Abercrombie's come out with a very cool promo video of its Home Office headquarters. You know. Just to show off how awesome it is. haha. Seriously, Abercrombie & Fitch recruiters are going to be visiting universities (primarily, but not limited to, the United States and the United Kingdom) in their search for talented students looking to further develop their career at A&F. After it all, 50 students will be selected for the Leadership Development Program at Home Office. It gets really competitive. Abercrombie & Fitch is seriously devoted to its strong business and career values and that includes people with a equally firm ethics, passion, and dedication.

Check out the Leadership Development Program video on Facebook (here). It's completely awesome. The beginning clips are from the promotional films of A&F Milan, Ginza, and Paris. Other screenshots featured in the video aren't actually recent though. A few are footage from three years or more! The song playing on the video is Good Life (Demolition Crew Remix) by One Republic. Have a look at A&F Careers if you're further interested (here). Stay FIERCE!

P.S. Have a look at the original promotional video for A&F Home Office:

Surf's Up in Hong Kong! The Surfers' Invasion of China Begins!

Surfer bouncers keeping it chill. No...Hot! haha | (image source)

That's right, Dudes and Bettys! Hollister's now hanging ten  - that's surfer lingo for pulling an awesome stunt! - in Hong Kong! The fantasy of Southern California by Abercrombie & Fitch plays out laid-back in the upscale Festival Walk shopping center located in the Kowloon Tong area of Hong Kong. There's 10,000 square feet (about 929 square meters) of the HCo lifestyle to quench your SoCal thirst of sun and surf and sex appeal. And have I mentioned that its facade is also a fantastic digital display of crashing waves from Huntington Beach! Oh, and let's not forget the hot surfers!

Construction wall enclosing the facade in early 2011 | (image source)

This historic location marks the official entrance of the Hollister brand into the Asian market. (I said "official entrance" because HCo's already been unofficially in Asia thanks to counterfeiting). Two years ago, I assumed the first HCo in Asia would be in Tokyo, but things have greatly changed since. A lot of stuff has been going on in Japan that's made a rocky retail environment in the nation's market. Abercrombie & Fitch is currently assessing the market while operating two flagships in the country. Meanwhile, over the East China Sea, the People's Republic of China has surpassed Japan as the world's second largest economy. The nation's wealth is ever increasing and its middle-class growing with dispensable income. Many international retailers had been taking note and are now focusing on their growth in China - Abercrombie included!

To help you understand the magnitude of this let's look at Apple. Apple, for example, considers its expansion in the Chinese market as a priority. Its two shops in Beijing and Shanghai are now "the four most heavily trafficked Apple stores in the world. They also generate the most revenue, outselling even the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in Manhattan, which is open around the clock." And that is saying something to an alarming extreme because the Cube Apple Store on Fifth Avenue is the highest grossing store in America! The Apple Store flagship in Shanghai, located in the Pudong district, is always jammed with customers and a crazy-massive crowd is always outside waiting to get in. Apple is now planning to open a second, even bigger location in Shanghai because that flagship (measuring 16,000 square feet / 1,486 square meters), which just opened a year ago, has apparently become to small to serve the mass traffic of customers!

Nevertheless, a small number of international brands have been able to emulate such a feat as Apple. But Abercrombie & Fitch is unlike most retailers. It has a strong image on par with that of Apple that has garnered it big openings internationally and HCo is a part of that corporate image. A&F is utilizing Hong Kong as its stepping stone into the Chinese market. And why Hong Kong? Because it is an already established fashion retail capital and it's been experiencing a rise of mainland consumers. To keep the momentum going and finally wage war against counterfeits, HCo will be expanding into the mainland by opening numerous more shops by the end of 2011. This includes HCo flagships in Beijing and Shanghai! It's crazy and amazing at the same time!

The opening in Hong Kong is a milestone in the history of Hollister Co. This is a brand that just got started a decade ago and is already experiencing global success that took other fashion retailers decades to cultivate. HCo is on a wave of cool that's just getting started, Dudes!

Read our post SoCal Waves to Crash Over China for much more on HCo's expansion into the nation.

Stay FIERCE and we'll keep you posted!

P.S. I posted this one month after the opening of HCo in Hong Kong because I wanted to wait and see if HCo would put up photos of the opening day like it's done with its other openings. Nope. Nothing. And I didn't want to put this off any longer.

SoCal Waves Crash on Fifth Avenue - Part II

I just came across this clip on YouTube this past weekend. Ironically, it was posted on YouTube back in November 2010 when this EPIC location on Fifth Avenue opened. How that got past me, I do not know. The 'Naughty or Nice?' Christmas craze at Abercrombie & Fitch distracted me, I guess. (Hell, that was an incredible holiday). Anywho, its so cool just watching that HCo electronic facade! Live feed from Huntington Beach... Amazing...



The overall effect makes a bold distinction from the typical of Fifth Avenue store fronts, and people just can't help slowing down and staring: SoCal waves are crashing on Fifth Avenue! The technology is nothing new, of course. In December 2004, Chanel made headlines in the architectural world when it revealed the facade of its groundbreaking location, in Tokyo's swanky Ginza shopping district (now also home of A&F Ginza), which incorporates the technology utilized on HCo's facade. But Chanel's is on a much grander scale. However, the inclusion of such technology on retail presentation definitely says much on A&F's part - a devotion to continually project its brands' images to a new level of cool...

Digital surfing, dudes! Stay FIERCE!

P.S. This is a follow-up to our original post, SoCal Waves Crash on Fifth Avenue. Oh! And I have included other videos for you to check out below!

Gilly Hicks' Awesome London Party!

Gather 'round 'cause we're heating things up, mates! | Screenshot from GH video

Gilly Hicks completed her Private Party Tour on August 25th most fittingly at her biggest shop in London's Westfield White City mall. As I expected, the event was huge! Hundreds of British Gilly Girls got all worked up in front of the two-story pseudo-colonial-style manor house. Of course primarily because of all the hot Abercrombie guys - shirtless, mind you, as always - that paraded up and down the crowds giving out posters and undies and hugs galore! Some of them actually made the girls work for the goodies in "talent" contests. No. Not anything like that! You know, like standing on your hands and stuff. Very funny!

Oh OMG! And then there was the shopping. Gilly had herself a full house - the coolest on the block! But nothing beats a photo with the guys afterwards on your way out! If you weren't lucky enough to have attended this awesome finale...sorry, gals!

The Gilly Hicks Girls Private Shopping Event -- London video of the event is completely incredible. One minute and 57 seconds of sheer fun! The best promo video I've ever seen from Gilly! Nice coverage - no pun intended! - on the fanaticism that A&F's underwear brand is causing. "Oh I love you / You make me feel like dancing!" That song is so fitting! And in case you were wondering, that song on the video is Babydoll by Akira the Don and was featured in the initial Back-to-School 2011 playlist that played in stores and online from July16 to late-August. (If you want to get the rest of that playlist, go here).

And you know what? All this is huge for Gilly Hicks! The promotional events just get the fans really excited and that attracts a lot of attention! It yells Gilly Hicks to the world and gets the word out about the Cheeky Cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch. All of this is promotion is great in America, but it has an even bigger impact in London because awareness gets out faster from the English fashion capital and not just throughout the region, but throughout the world as well. In fact, the Global Language Monitor has named London as the #1 global fashion capital: "This exclusive ranking is based upon GLM’s Narrative Tracking technology. NarrativeTracker analyzes the Internet, blogosphere, the 75,000 print and electronic media, as well as new social media sources (such as Twitter). The words, phrases and concepts are tracked in relation to their frequency, contextual usage and appearance in global media outlets." And factor in the tourism and global business importance of the city. (Parents on foreign business trips love bringing their children back the coolest stuff  in the city, too, of course). And now this promotional event attracting more screaming Gilly Girls...Yeah, this is huge!

High-five for Chris! God love him!

Oh, and did I mention that many of those Abercrombie boys were also the ones who heated things up during the opening of GH London back in November 2010? Yup. And of course our Abercrombie Boy-Toy, Chris, was there! (Check out our other posts featuring this Abercrombie heartthrob here). I mean, seriously! We can all agree that no Abercrombie event is complete without our Abercrombie Boy-Toy, right?! All I'm saying is he'd better be at A&F Madrid, Brussels, Dusseldorf, and Singapore! Too much to ask?

Stay FIERCE everyone! And remember to spread the word on the Cheeky Cousin of Abercrombie & Fitch! WE LOVE GILLY!

Did Anyone Loose their Barbie and Ken Dolls? Abercrombie Found 'Em!

"Oh I'm having so much fun!" says Barbie completely stoked.
"Well, Barbie, we're just getting started!"

Barbie and Ken now modeling at Abercrombie & Fitch! Golden blond, plastic-perfect, and gorgeous...they're both available now at A&F Looks...check them out today! FIERCE cologne and 8 perfume not included. Clothing sold separately!

OMG this is hilarious! Stay FIERCE!

Online Stores Get Another Upgrade...

Our favorite brands have been making further and further additions and changes to their new website design that launched back in February. This time around the search feature has been added to make your online shopping experience more convinient. Now the online stores are really looking good!

There're looking hot, right? And searching for a particular item (i.e. gloves, jeans, etc.) has never been cooler and easier, too! However, I won't be using it much because I personally like to look through everthing there is online. But I decided to try it out anyway. I love leathergoods. I've always appreciated the craftsmanship since as far as I can remember - this being problamatic because I've recently become a vegan after three years of vegetarianism - and A&F has always had some really awesome leather belts, and I'm obsessed with the Rollins jacket. So I typed in "leather" and this is what I got...

Holy smokes! Now that's beautiful. Initially, the page shows me a preview of all the leathergoods Abercrombie & Fitch has to offer for both men and women. Then it gives the option to look at all the seach results...

OFMG. It's got everything that has even the smallest amount of leather detailing! From the belts to bracelets and everything in between! Very nice... Very awesome... Very Abercrombie & Fitch... Stay FIERCE!

Remembering 9/11...10 Years Later

This September 11 marks 10 years after that fateful day that scarred America and the rest of the world. A day - a sad yet powerful and significant landmark in the history of America - one of those points in history that forever alter the course a peoples' story. It is a very, very notable passing of time - I don't really know how else to put it - in which so much has changed since that would not have been so otherwise...

And as an American, it brings me tears. I did not lose someone on that dark day, but the sorrow of those who did and the thought of those who lost their lives - my fellow Americans, my fellow men and women  - really hits me. I was a part of that collective melancholy and it pierced my heart as a then 10 year old to witness such profound horror. I will never forget the grieve, the tears, the feelings of woeful worry, pain, fear, and loss. And for always I will remember that profound comradeship and hope, hand-in-hand, which arose to fight back...

A&F Quarterly Back-to-School 2000.

One year before 9/11, the A&F Quarterly Back-to-School 2000 issue was circulating. Incidental, the cover art featured a shot of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center...one year before the event. Unknowingly, that issue would go on to become one of the last pieces of media to feature the pre-9/11 New York skyline with the Towers. Indeed, possibly the only magazine to have featured the skyline on the cover months before their tragic fall. That issue was themed, New York.

If A&F had not planned the New York theme for the A&F Quarterly before 9/11, the issue would have not been developed in a post-9/11 atmosphere. It would have been completely inappropriate.

A&F Quarterly Summer 2001.

The summer fashion season before 9/11, Abercrombie & Fitch released its Summer 2001 A&F Quarterly issue that featured a very patriotic cover. When 9/11 occurred, the Back-to-School issue was circulating. And after the terrorist attacks, the Company sat down and finally decided to cancel the release of the subsequent Christmas issue which would have been out in late-October 2001. It made the announcement on October 17: "The time we're in, it's not a typical environment, and we've acknowledged that. It was a highly emotional decision. It just came down on balance that this Christmas being a time of pushing the envelope was not a right thing to do," stated Mike Jeffries. I had never before, until now, given thought to the fact that A&F must have already been in the finishing stages of the A&F Quarterly Christmas 2001. Mike did not reveal what the issue would have contained, but merely said that it would have been about "kids having a great time at the holidays." ...yeah, well...

The Christmas 2001 catalog cover.

That holiday season, only catalogs (which weren't short of sexuality anyway) were mailed to A&F Quarterly subscribers with a letter - addressed to "The Next Greatest Generation" - from its editor-in-chief, Savas Abadsidis, which read: "We have found ourselves in a markedly altered cultural landscape which has made us pause and question the relevance and timeliness of our Christmas issue. At a time like this, there are moments when the brash irreverence and bravado that in some respects define what we do seem strident and out of place." The company donated the money that would have been spent on finalizing and publishing the A&F Quarterly Christmas issue to charities aiding those who suffered from the attacks. The floorsets in the stores were designed to create a very ''traditional Christmas in the stores with a warm and family air." Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister Co. also sold patriotic-themed tees, priced from $19.50 to $29.50, with proceeds from sales also going to charities along with personal donations from Company employees.

For this 9/11, all I'm expecting from Abercrombie & Fitch, and its mockingbird brands, is a Facebook post. Back in New York, the Nation September 11 Memorial will be opening to mark the 10 years. It is quite beautiful from the images that I have seen. Serenity and tranquility, a site of life and hope developed on what was once a gray hole in the American consciousness...

The National September 11 Memorial (opening 9/11/11) & Museum (opening 2012).
The pools of water are serene footprints to where the Twin Towers once stood.

Stay FIERCE...

P.S. I just want to share with you that this happens to be, unintentionally, the 130th post on The Sitch on Fitch. I decided to post one day prior to 9/11 because I just felt like putting it out a day before - that and I don't plan on blogging on 9/11.

UPDATE: Abercrombie & Fitch didn't even have the courtesy of making a Facebook post acknowledging 9/11. So much for being all-American. But I guess its just too much of an emotional thing for a company to make a statement, and then the comments that would have ensued by users could have sparked some sort of debate. People have been known for making the most inappropriate comments on A&F's Facebook. Ralph Lauren didn't either post anything either, but at least RL featured an image dedicated to 9/11 on its American online store.

Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore Opens December 15th!

The waiting is almost over, people! The party begins December 15th! | (image source)

OMG! You read right! Finally, finally, I've got you the date for the opening of A&F Singapore! Ring the alarm people! The third Abercrombie & Fitch location in Asia, A&F Singapore, will open doors on December 15th in Knightsbridge (which is "transforming the local shopping scene as a forerunner of high fashion trends") on Orchard Road! This awesome flagship location will start blasting its FIERCE cool music exactly two years after the historic opening of A&F Ginza in Tokyo, Japan - the first Abercrombie & Fitch in Asia. I was soooo excited for the opening of A&F Ginza - primarily because I love Tokyo and that my favorite brand was finally opening an awesome flagship (towering literally in paramount cool) in Tokyo nearly killed me with joy and obsession! And now, precisely two years later from that day, Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore!

A&F as seen on knightsbridge.com.sg
September 2011 | (image source)

Located at 270 Orchard Road (to be exact), A&F Singapore will play out the unforgettable A&F flagship experience on over 21,000 square feet. From here Abercrombie & Fitch will further promote its internationally iconic image as one of unparalleled cool and luxury...a perfect combination! Orchard Road is Singpore's premier shopping slab of pavement and the upscale shops that line all down the street is a paramount list of who's who in the fashion industry. Singapore itself ranks as the 8th most influencial fashion capital in the world for 2011. And this A&F flagship is sure to rank as one of the best shops the city has to offer; it'll become a consumer attraction!

On opening day, expect gorgeous smiles and chiseled abs galore! And this is probably going to be another huge opening on par with those of A&F Milan, Tokyo, and Paris. Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore is being made as a really huge deal! People in the region are really excited about having an A&F of their own to where they can finally go in and get the A&F experience firsthand! Take the excitement for the opening and add the fact that Singapore is a major point of global tourism (with hoards of tourists passing through Orchard Road for the shopping)...oh, you can bet your Abercrombie flip-flops this is gonna be huge!

Mark your calendars people! December 15th! Stay FIERCE!


A&F Singapore is now open! Read: The Main Event! Abercrombie & Fitch in Singapore Now Open!

Music Profiled! | Love is a Hurricane - Boyzone

My god, when I walked into Abercrombie & Fitch the day after Christmas Day and this song came up, it was as if I was hit by romanticism like a runaway train... The imagery: "Lie in bed, but I can't sleep / on the ledge, but I can't leap...when you kiss my lips, I see lightning in the sky...one step forward and two steps back, you're love is like a hurricane / when you're with me, I'm on track / we're riding on a crazy train / I'll be fine, if you're mine / on the end of the line...butterflies I want to keep / I try to laugh, but I just weep / something about you gets me so deep inside...one step forward and two steps back, you're love is like a hurricane..." It just takes you on an emotional storm; it stirs the inner romance in us all. This song is amazing.

And I am sure many of you felt the same way. Love is a Hurricane (7th Heaven Radio Edit) by Boyzone was a part of the A&F pre-Spring 2011 playlist that played in stores from December 26th to mid-Ferbruary. This happens to be my pick for one of the best playlists ever compiled for Abercrombie & Fitch and I rank this track as one of the top best in the playlist. Basically, that makes the track one of the best songs ever played inside A&F and of course it is. Love is a Hurricane (7th Heaven Radio Edit) is classic Abercrombie & Fitch: romantic, passionate, energetic, and youthful, nothing comes close.

I really, really love this song and decided to check out the artists. Boyzone is an Irish pop boyband that came together in 1993 with five guys - Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch - Keating and Gately were the band's leading singers. Boyzone's first studio album, Said and Done, was released in November 1994 and was certified 3x platinum in the United Kingdom. A Different Beat, their second studio album, which was released in October 1996, was also certified 3x platinum. Boyzone's third album, Where We Belong, was mostly written by the band members and became the 3rd best selling in the UK for the year; it was certified 5x platinum after being released in May 1998. After 2000, the guys split up to pursue solo careers. They had sold over 13 million records and were one of the best-selling artists of the time. In October 2009, Stephen died in his apartment in Majorca, Spain, of pulmonary oedema which resulted from an undiagnosed heart condition: "Stephen Gately’s death represents the first time that the boyband genre has had to deal with such a tragic situation," stated the The Irish Times. His name was one of the most searched for topics on Google UK in 2009, and "Boyzone" came third after Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize accolade. Gately was the band's openly gay member, a philanthropist, and heralded as a hero of gay rights by The Times UK.

Named in memory of Gately, Boyzone's first studio album in 12 years was titled Brother. A tribute to Gately, and featuring vocals by him, the single Gave It All Away was #1 on the Irish Singles Chart and a Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. Released in March 2010, the album over all was positively reviewed. The second and last single happens to have been...you guessed it...Love is a Hurricane. It is the original version and no less amazing. I watched the official music video for it this past weekend and it is awesome, truly awesome...and damn those Irish guys are hot!



I've since got their Said and Done and Brother albums in my iTunes library, but haven't got the chance to listen to them completely. That's why I wasn't able to comment on how much I liked them. Nevertheless, from what I have listened to, they're totally great. Especially Brother which is one of the best reviewed. However, this album is more adult rock than the pop Boyzone is known for. All-in-all, very, very good music. And I've gotta thank Abercrombie & Fitch for introducing me to these guys. Boyzone's got a fan in me! Stay FIERCE!

P.S. This is all very coincidential for me considering that A&F is opening in Dublin!

British Gal Lands Herself a Job with the Hottest Company in Town!

The new FIERCE girl in town! | (image source)

She won over Abercrombie & Fitch with her talent and keen mind...and by the end of this month, Laura Mees-Harris will travel, from her native England, to the United States to take up position as one of the newest designers for the Company!

Hailing from Meols (a village on the Wirran Peninsula), the 23 year-old was a student at Northumbria University, with  focus on menswear, when Abercrombie & Fitch came knocking on the door in 2010. Mees-Harris was selected to be a part of 100 students chosen to work on a Back-to-School fashion project by A&F Recruiters: “They came to the university in the summer to scout and we were asked to design an autumn collection, four full outfits, by the following February.” And when the recruiters returned in February 2011, she passed on along with 39 others for an interview.

Two weeks later, Mees-Harris found herself at A&F Campus. She, along with about 40 others just as herself, were put to the test to see how they interacted as a team: "It was very intense. We had dinners which were lovely, but you were aware that everything was being done with a view to seeing how you interacted as a team. So, although it was exciting, it was like one long interview." Teamwork is crucial in this industry, but it's even more so at A&F because it shows how comfortable and social you are among others. Not only does it create a positive working environment, but it is a part of the bright and energetic A&F Culture.

Within a week after she arrived back home, Mees-Harris got the call...she got a position! Very wonderful for her. Not only is she starting a job two months after graduating, but she's also starting her career at an internationally renown fashion retailer.

Mees-Harris will join the A&F family by the end of September. Expecting to undergo training, she's probably going to take part in either the Abercrombie & Fitch or Hollister brand. And for a girl who had to to fly over the Atlantic for the job of a lifetime, leaving behind her family and friends, from her small English village, to a new city in America - Campus in headquartered in New Albany, but she'll arrive in at Columbus - must seem unnerving. But come on! She's gonna be a part of the coolest crew in town! There will be 16 other designers starting off along with her and Abercrombie & Fitch "has already arranged lots of social things for us to do together, so I won’t feel like I’m totally on my own when I go out there," Mees-Harris says.

She is a very fortunate and gifted person, Laura Mees-Harris. Her work and personality got her this amazing position and I'm very happy for her. Honestly, who wouldn't kill to be a part of the A&F team. A&F Home Office is a very exciting and wholly cool place! A cool and intimate environment...surrounded by gorgeous wilderness, amazing architecture (and facilities including a great cafeteria-à-la-restaurant and an awesome gym), and with incredible and good-looking people amongst you...overwhelming? Yes, and enjoy it!

And, to you, my readers, stay FIERCE!